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Guest Posts, Morse Code, POTA, QRP, Travel

Western States POTA Roadtrip Summary

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Introduction

by Matt (W6CSN)

In early August, my family and I had occasion to take a road trip totaling nearly 2800 miles (4500 km) across six different U.S. states.

The title of this posting might lead you to think that this trip was dedicated to doing Parks On The Air activations, but that was not the case. Instead, we were in the process of delivering a kid to their next adventure in higher education.

Since I have already gone into some detail of these POTA activations on my blog at w6csn.blog, this post will be just a summary of the amateur radio aspects of the trip, plus some of the pictures taken along the way.

Spring water flows from a cave in Logan Canyon.

There was limited space in the tightly packed car and some tough decisions had to be made about what radio equipment to bring. I settled on the Elecraft KH1, the most compact HF CW station you can carry. I also brought the Yaesu FT-818 and microphone. The all-band, all-mode capability of the ‘818 gives me some peace of mind when traveling through dark territory. Of course, I also carried a Garmin InReach on my radio bag.

Park POTA reference State QSO count
Bud Phelps WMA US-11044 Utah 10
Pioneer Historic Byway US-10420 Idaho 12
Lory State Park US-1228 Colorado 12
Wyoming Territorial Prison US-6122 Wyoming 11
Great Salt Lake SP US-3075 Utah 10
Rye Patch SRA US-4444 Nevada 10
All activations combined on a single map, with apologies to my Alaskan friends..

Operating Notes

The first POTA activation happened at Bud Phelps WMA in the Cache Valley near Logan, Utah. Surrounded by farm fields and livestock, the FT-818 and MFJ-1979 telescoping whip brought in 10 QSOs for a complete activation.

The FT-818 is truly a “field” radio.

Later the same day we detoured up into Idaho to bag Pioneer Historic National Scenic Byway. With an afternoon temperature of 95°F, I was happy that the KH1 and Gabil GRA-7350T antenna got the job done in short order.

Remembering the victims of the massacre.

On the way over the mountains from Utah to Wyoming we stopped briefly to stretch our legs at the Bear Lake Overlook. I thought this would be a perfect place to whip out the KH1 with built-in whip and see if I could make a contact or two as a hunter. Alas, the bands were truly “dead” and I could not hear any signals, let alone make contact in the short time spent at this rest area.

No QSOs but the KH1 is looking great at Bear Lake Overlook.

Several days later, we dodged thunderstorms to sneak in an activation at Colorado’s Lory State Park. Again, the KH1 and 7350T paired up for a quick 12 QSOs before threatening weather called an end to the operation.

Mountain thunderstorms kept us on our toes.

Now on the return leg of our journey, we stopped in Laramie, Wyoming for fuel, some snacks, and to activate Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. This time the 7350T antenna perched atop the Gabil GRA-GNT Tiny Tripod with ground spike, a compromise for sure, but it works well enough for POTA.

Territorial prison restored and welcoming guests.

Back in Utah, a POTA of opportunity presented itself with a brief visit to Great Salt Lake State Park. With no place to setup a more extensive antenna system, I deployed the Tufteln right-angle adapter to use the KH1 on a picnic table with the 4 foot whip. This setup certainly attracts some curious looks from passersby.

The red Tufteln adapter is certainly eye catching.

Later, at home, I realized that when we had stopped to marvel at the Bonneville Salt Flats that there was a “2-fer” right under my nose. The salt flats themselves are private property, but the adjacent rest area counts for the California National Historic Trail and the Pony Express National Historic Trail.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are a must see.

The final POTA activation of trip came at Rye Patch State Recreation Area, about a half hour west of Winnemucca, Nevada on Interstate 80. Here it was time to use the FT-818 once again to try to get the activation done in the morning before the desert heat really got cooking. After an hour on the air, 10 QSOs were in the log and we were once again on the road for our final day of driving on this tour of The West.

The high desert is uniquely beautiful.

Equipment Used

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Donner Summit in California

72 and POTA ON!

de W6CSN

News

The POTA Babe Goes to the Dogs

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by Teri KO4WFP

As much as I enjoy the pursuit of my 2024 goal of 60 new parks, this Wednesday, August 21, I suspended my pursuit of that goal and headed to George L. Smith State Park, a park I activated last fall.  Why? I did so in support of K2D and International Dog Day. (See the QRZ page here: https://www.qrz.com/db/K2D)

International Dog Day is observed annually on August 26th. The goal is to raise awareness of the world’s abused, abandoned, homeless, and shelter dogs. Hans YL3JD in Latvia operated the past several years with a special event in honor of the day. This year, for the first time, Hans is joined by stations in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. The US team is organized by Caryn KD2GUT under the call K2D.

There are eight operators here in the US that will be on the air from Wednesday, August 21 through Monday, August 26. Three of us will do at least one of our shifts from a POTA site. I chose George L. Smith State Park (US-2179) as my site for two reasons. First, for this activation I need good cell service for spotting on the POTA website but also DXSummit. I recall this state park having good cell service during my previous visit. Second, I’ve been hankering for a return to this park given how scenic it is. K2D is a great excuse to return.

Source: gastateparks.org

Daisy (of course she has to come along for K2D!) and I arrived early, around 9 AM. We had the park to ourselves. The temperature actually felt cool, probably due to the presence of the lake and a stiff breeze blowing off of it.

the lake with cypress and tupelo trees

Last time I visited here, I operated from a hill next to the park office. However, I recall a fair amount of noise on 40 meters at that location. I had another QTH in mind.

former QTH

When you enter the park, to the right is the old grist mill through which one may walk. On the other side is a trail. It was along that trail I intended to set up.

Source: gastateparks.org

I parked at the park office, grabbed my gear, and walked to the old mill house. We continued out to the trail on the other side. I found a spot just past some hanging foliage which I thought would prevent anyone from walking into me. (It turns out we didn’t see a single person walking though we did see several kayakers on the lake.) There was a tall wall of foliage behind me which should shield Daisy and I from the summer sun during the entire activation.

overhanging foliage

Given I would operate as a special station, I wanted my trusty Tufteln EFRW. I found a branch high in the canopy and aimed. It took me several throws but I finally snagged a branch close by. I didn’t want to block the trail and needed a branch high enough for a steep angle in my antenna.

QTH at new spot
EFRW with flagging tape
view to the left of my spot
view to the right of my spot

Around 1400 UTC, I began calling CQ K2D or CQ POTA ES K2D. I opted for 20 meters given I’d likely reach a wider range of hams. The bands today did not disappoint (as you’ll see on my QSO map below) for the two hours I operated. I did try 40 meters near the end of the activation but had no callers for the 15 minutes I tried. Finally around noon, I called QRT.

QSO Map for K2D/George L. Smith State Park   source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/
my view during the activation – ain’t it nice?!

I was thrilled to find at noon that Daisy and I still sat in shade. This is a big deal in Georgia in August! In fact, we felt a breeze off the lake the entire activation. Can you say “ahhh”? So next time I visit this park, I’ll set up in this spot.

Daisy supervising
innovative way to display my POTA flag

I appreciate everyone who hunted me today.

I hope QRPer readers will consider supporting K2D over the next five days. As this is the first year of the event here in the US, there is not a schedule for when the eight of us are on the air. We will be on when we can for both CW and SSB, though since most of us are CW ops, I suspect you will mostly find us operating that mode. We will stick close to the frequencies of 7.045, 14.050, 21.030, and 28.050 as printed in QST magazine. However, check for us on DXHeat and DXSummit in case we need to move due to inference.

I’ve posted a short video to YouTube about the activation if you are interested:

Next week, I’ll resume my 60 new-to-me POTA activations for 2024 quest. Where will I show up and will I succeed in bagging park #38? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

[Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.]

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Videos

POTA at Mount Pisgah: Punching through patchy propagation and dodging dodgy weather!

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On Saturday, August 3, 2024, my wife and daughters drove to Edneyville, North Carolina, for an annual family get-together/reunion. It’s always a lot of fun catching up with my wife’s extended family. And, I must say, the food is always spectacular. I’m talking every amazing Southern dish you can dream of!

After the gathering, my wife and I dropped off our daughters with some of their friends for the afternoon. We’d planned to head back home and catch up on a few things, but I (fortunately) glanced at Google Maps and saw that I-40 was closed west-bound which meant that instead of a 30-minute drive home, we were staring at 70+ minutes. It was a busy weekend, with a lot of tourists in town, and traffic was at a standstill.

Lemons to Lemonade

I proposed to my wife that we go in the opposite direction of everyone else–up the very winding 151 to Mount Pisgah. She looked at me and knew I had activating on the brain. She happily agreed.

I knew hiking to the summit of Mount Pisgah for a SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation was unrealistic because we didn’t bring hiking gear and, frankly, the weather was a little too dodgy with pop-up thunderstorms forming.

Instead, I had the Mount Pisgah Picnic Area in mind. It’s a brilliant spot with numerous options for setting up a POTA station. It took us all of 35 minutes to drive there.

Hazel was happy to jump out of the car.

I’m sure she was on bear alert because the last time we were here, she spotted a black bear. She never forgets a bear but she always forgets how small she is compared to them.

There are numerous spots to set up a station at this particular parkway picnic site. We found a table off to the side where I had easy access to trees (i.e., wire antenna supports) if needed.

I was hoping I wouldn’t need them, though. I planned to attach the Version 2 KH1 Right Angle Adapter Elecraft sent me to replace out the prototype I used in a previous activation/field report. This would give my KH1 “picnic table” mode.

Based on all of the recent reports I’d been receiving from other POTA and SOTA activators, I knew such a modest antenna might make things challenging (foreshadowing alert), but by not deploying a wire antenna, I could pack up super quickly should we get caught in a downpour or thunderstorm.

I set up the KH1, prepared my logs, and got ready to hop on the air!

Gear:

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On The Air

I hopped on the air and started calling CQ POTA with fingers crossed.

I worked N8JY and KO4PK in fairly short order after I self-spotted (thank you for the contacts!).

Then…silence.

(Sound familiar activators who’ve been out there lately–?)

I even moved to the 30M band for a stint, but there were no callbacks there either. Continue reading POTA at Mount Pisgah: Punching through patchy propagation and dodging dodgy weather! →

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Travel

The POTA Babe Gets Wet – Day 5

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

Daisy and I awoke the morning of Thursday, July 18, ready to attempt our third SOTA activation of this trip. Today we’d head to Mount Jefferson State Natural Area (US-3846), a short drive from New River State Park. Along the drive, I spied quite a few farms for Christmas trees.

Mount Jefferson (W4C/EM-021) is 4,665 feet in elevation , rises more than 1,600 feet above the valley floor, and was a place for escaped slaves to hide. The mountain is a heath bald featuring dense evergreen shrubs on it which is different from the grassy balds also found in the Appalachian mountains. (Black Balsam Knob I visited earlier in the trip is an example of a grassy bald.)

A road winds up to a parking lot close to the summit. When I arrived on this overcast day, there was only one other vehicle parked. I grabbed my SOTA pack, outfitted Daisy with her harness and leash, and we were ready for the task ahead of us.

The hike up to the summit is an easy one. The trail begins at the parking lot and is easy to identify. To make sure there was no repeat performance of not being sure where the summit is located, I snapped a pic of a posted park map.

Start of the trail

Along the hike, we encountered the weather station near the summit and neat lichens.

The weather station
Neat lichens

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the summit. I could see the weather station back along the ridge as well as the town in the valley below. I had checked the weather forecast before I left our campsite earlier that morning and it looked promising.

The trail at the summit
Ta-da – Mount Jefferson summit

At the summit is a section of rock with a flatish spot in the middle, almost as if it is beckoning one to get comfortable. We settled ourselves on that flatish spot and I began pulling my equipment out of the pack. I opted for the AX1 again as it served me well at the previous two SOTA activations and there wasn’t much room up here.

I love this photo!

I quickly discovered there was no cell service. I’d have to make do, possibly setting up near another POTA station and hoping the RBN would spot me or someone would come across me. I began on 40 meters but after spending 10 minutes on that band, moved to 20 meters. James WA1EDN found me and I asked him to “PSE SPOT ME”. It worked and in the next 15 minutes, I worked  five stations and then…

It started raining! (Noooooo!) I had noticed fog-like clouds moving in; however, I have seen this kind of weather before while on the Blue Ridge Parkway and those clouds don’t always bring rain. I naively believed the weather forecast and didn’t pay them much attention. Until it started raining.

Clouds moving in

I hurriedly covered my KX2 and key, put on my raincoat, and threw what I could into my pack including my notepad. Thankfully, I take with me a Rite in the Rain notebook and pen as a backup. Neither had ever been used. I refused to give up so easily and began calling CQ POTA again. I worked another station – John N7JTT in Washington state – and then…

My wet pack

My key started going bonkers on me! I didn’t think about it but the key is electronic and not mechanical. I can recall only two times I’ve activated in the rain. Both were during my trip to Nova Scotia and both times I activated INSIDE the car. So I and my equipment (except the antenna) were protected from the rain. Electronic keys and rain do NOT mix as I now discovered. I thought I had protected it from the rain but obviously not.

Well, I could deal with that! I always take a small backup key with me which I now pulled out and began to use. However, that key, too, is electrical and crapped out on me in no time. Now I had no choice but to call QRT. Oh, the depth of despair at having to do that when I was so close to a valid activation!

Daisy snoozing in the rain

I consoled myself that at least I got my third SOTA activation and, other than the keys crapping out on me, this activation had been a lot of fun. Also, the AX1 had proven itself a rockstar with two QSOs to the West Coast – John N7JTT in California and WB6POT in Washington state! Way to go AX1!

We dragged our soggy bodies down the mountain to the parking lot where I looked at the keys one more time to see if they would work for me. Nope. Honestly, I felt very, VERY stupid at not thinking about those keys being electrical. I never considered they wouldn’t work in the rain. Sigh. This was another learning opportunity and, when I got back home, I’d make sure to have a mechanical key in my arsenal as a SECOND backup. You know what the SEALs say: two is one and one is none. At this point, I had none!

I had planned on heading back to Georgia tomorrow. But with no working keys, there could be no more activations. (I don’t carry a mic with me as I am a CW-only op these days.) There was no point in staying that extra day.

I headed back to New River State Park, packed everything up, and drove the seven hours back to Savannah, Georgia. Though the keys might have dried out and worked the next day, we had already been through two nights of thunderstorms and much more promised to roll through the area. Enough was enough.

All in all, I considered the trip a success. I finally tackled SOTA and ended up with three valid activations. I added six valid POTA activations to my goal of 60 new-to-me parks for 2024. I survived five days of camping alone with Daisy 500 miles from home. Yes, I made mistakes along the way; however, I viewed those a learning opportunities, mistakes I’d not be likely to make again.

For those of you who followed these articles and hunted me during the trip, thank you for sharing this journey with me. This POTA Babe learned a lot and had a lot of fun along the way, despite the setbacks. I am already plotting a SOTA trip for spring or summer 2025 and, most certainly, a summer 2025 return to the North Carolina mountains. But well before that, I have 23 more parks to activate for my 2024 POTA activation goal. Where will I show up next? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

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Everyday Carry, Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios

KH1 to the Rescue! A postcard field report from Pisgah National Forest.

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On Friday afternoon (August 16, 2024), after dropping off one daughter at her volunteer job and the other at Shakespeare class, my wife and I had about 90 minutes of free time before the next scheduled activity.

We opted to visit the Sycamore Flats Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) so that I could fit in a POTA activation while my wife caught up on a project she’d been working on.

The picnic area was bustling with activity–the busiest I’d seen it in a while. No doubt, everyone was out enjoying the beautiful weather and the last hurrah before many local kids head back to school. Nevertheless, we found a nice picnic table to set up and play radio.

I did not have all of my camera gear with me, so opted not to film this activation with my phone.

Since there’d be no video, it meant that I could operate with earphones and a minimal amount of extra gear. It’s nice to do this every so often!

On the way out the door, earlier that day, I grabbed my Mountain Topper MTR-3B field kit. The goal was to put it on the air since it had been a few months since I last used it. I like rotating out radios regularly so I don’t forget nuances of operating them while in the field.

The previous day, I also charged the two Li-Ion rechargeable batteries [affiliate link] that are stored in the MTR-3B Pelican case. At least I thought I charged them!

When I checked the batteries, they were both completely dead. Turns out, the USB charging station I’d connected them to the previous day was not plugged into an AC outlet. Doh!

This presented a little problem because the only other battery I had in my GR1 rucksack was a 3Ah LiFePo4 battery which likely pushed about 13.2VDC. The MTR-3B doesn’t care for voltages much higher than 12VDC–at least, if you are higher than 12V, you need to make darn sure you’ve got a great SWR match.

I was a bit bummed because I hadn’t packed a backup radio in the GR1 and I wasn’t driving the Subaru which has a Venus SW3B headrest field kit.

Hang on…

Then it hit me…I’ve got my EDC (Everyday Carry) radio with me: the Elecraft KH1! Woo hoo!

I went back to the car and grabbed my Trakke EDC bag.

Then pulled out the KH1 packed in my Tufteln-modified Pelican Micro M40 watertight case.

It is such a luxury to have a small, lightweight, and versatile radio always at the ready in the backpack I carry with me everywhere.

Since I’d already deployed my K6ARK 40 meter counterpoise-less end-fed half-wave [affiliate link], this was the antenna I connected to the KH1.

I also grabbed the Bamakey TP-III from my GR1 pack and the 3×5 Rite in the Rain Pad and Zebra mechanical pencil [again, affiliate links] from the MTR-3B kit (don’t worry, I returned these to their respective kits post-activation!).

I had announced this activation on the POTA website, so hypothetically, the RBN should auto-spot me.

I turned on the KH1, moved to the 20 meter band, and was tuning around looking for a clear frequency when I heard a station calling CQ POTA. Continue reading KH1 to the Rescue! A postcard field report from Pisgah National Forest. →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Things Pick Back Up for the POTA Babe – Day 4

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

I woke on day four (Wednesday, July 17) of my North Carolina camping and POTA trip, determined for it to be a better day. The three unsuccessful activations were actually a good thing. It put me on notice that I had fallen into my past habit of scheduling to the max. Sometimes I become so focused on whatever I am pursuing that I forget to enjoy the ride getting there. So today would be a day of leisure with some POTA sprinkled in.

I spent the morning drying items wet from the previous night’s rain. It turns out the tent waterproofing was just so-so and that smarted. However, it reminded me of an acronym from Dr. Maika Steinborn – FAIL which stands for First Attempt In Learning. There is a learning curve with any new endeavor and waterproofing a tent is no exception. The rainfly and underside of the tent needed more of the exterior waterproofing spray. That is a project for when I return home.

Drying out

The camping spot across from me was unoccupied. The parking spaces for it were bathed in sunshine so I took advantage of that sunshine to dry items before packing them up as we had reservations at a new park.

Meanwhile, I endeavored to get the activation for Lake James State Park that the rain prevented last night. To make matters simple, I used the Chelegance MC-750. It was a snap to set up and, while Daisy snoozed under my seat, I set up on 40 meters. The band gave me four contacts in ten minutes. It was a challenge hearing them at times because a park employee was mowing in nearby areas.

Chelegance MC-750 set up on tent pad
Daisy snoozing
My setup at Lake James campsite

I moved to 20 meters and added three more contacts including a park-to-park with Randy N5ILQ at US-11768 in Oklahoma. I’d been on 20 meters for nearly 20 minutes with only three contacts and figured I’d give 40 another try.  Switching to 40 meters, that band gave me three more contacts. Getting antsy, I hopped back to 20 meters. Contacts with Tim VA3UZ, Dave N1CGP, and Brian K3ES gave me the breathing room I needed for a valid activation.

QSO Map for Lake James State Park 7-17-2024 source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/

Daisy and I packed up and headed out. The road along Lake James was one fun ride, like an old-time rollercoaster with banked turns and zigzags back and forth. I’ve about decided I need to visit North Carolina once a year just to drive the roads!

Cool bridge inside Lake James State Park
Beach area down by the lake

We drove through Morganton, Lenoir, and then to Blowing Rock, a swanky looking community. We rejoined the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit before heading north on 221 toward New River State Park. We were in the upper left corner of the state at this point, 357 miles from home.

A funny sign I spied on the drive
Vista at Grandview Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Common milkweed
More Queen Anne’s Lace

So far, I’m impressed with the state parks at which I’ve stayed in North Carolina. Lake James offered spacious, well-equipped campsites and one of the nicest bathhouses I’ve seen in a state park. At New River State Park, though, I would live in the lap of luxury as I’d have an electrical hook-up at my site! (To recharge my Jackery Power Station so far, I plugged it into my car while driving.) You appreciate the things we often take for granted in society when you go without them for several days.

source: GIS Geography

Our campsite
Campsite visitor – We saw bunnies at Davidson River Campground also.

After setting up camp and a brief rain shower, I decided to activate New River State Park (US-2748) and, again, use the Chelegance MC-750. Contacts came in spurts. I began with 20 meters and made contact with two stations before moving to 40 meters. Forty meters did not disappoint. Over the course of 25 minutes, I made contact with nine stations including Jeff VE3JZT at park CA-5594 in Ontario province. I had a valid activation by this point with 11 contacts. However, I had the hunger for more QSOs and switched back to 20 meters. That proved to be a good move as I worked four more stations including Scott NB0W in Nebraska before calling QRT.

QSO Map for New River State Park 7-17-2024 source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/

At this point in the trip, I reflected on the past four days. I had six valid POTA activations and two SOTA activations. Daisy and I had survived camping by ourselves a long way from home negotiating the challenges that arise from this kind of trip. I had a blast driving the roads in my Crosstrek Kai through bucolic countryside and grand vistas. But truth be told, I missed my partner Glenn and was a little homesick. I decided I would end my trip two days early on Friday instead of Sunday. That still gave me two days for another SOTA attempt and two more parks. The fun wasn’t over yet! What summit would I attempt to activate tomorrow? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

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Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, POTA, QRP, Travel

The POTA Babe Strikes Out – Day 3

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

As my friend Jon KC1FUU says “Some days are diamonds, some are stone.” The third day (Tuesday, July 16) of my North Carolina trip definitely fell into the “stone” category.

The day began nice enough with a slow but steady pace. As our next overnight stay was at Lake James State Park, it was time to break camp and set out northward for Linville Gorge Wilderness Area (US-10262). According to the US Forest Service website, “the gorge is formed by the Jonas Ridge on the east and Linville Mountain on the west and is bisected by the Linville River which drops 2,000 feet into the valleys below.” The gorge is also known as the “Grand Canyon of Eastern USA”.

source: GIS Geography

When you activate parks out of the state and with which you are unfamiliar, you never know what the actual conditions will be until you arrive. In case we didn’t want to hike into the gorge, I figured there would a parking lot at which we could set up as is typical of many parks. However, that is NOT the case here. The roads that run along the gorge are also not in the park boundary. All the trails to hike are rated difficult except for one which doesn’t go into the gorge.

After the previous day, I was loathe to do any major hiking, especially for Daisy. The weather didn’t help either as it was sunny and warm.

There was one hike – Spencer Ridge Trail – whose description said there was a moderate section. Plan B was to ride to the other side of the gorge and hike enough to be in the park boundary and try an activation on Spencer Ridge Trail.

Spencer Trail circled in black on Linville Gorge map

Have you ever ridden any forest service roads? Whew! They are a rough bunch of characters. This one – Table Rock Road – was no different. Roads like this is why I drive my Crosstrek Kai, as he is made for these kinds of adventures.

This photo doesn’t begin to convey the bumpy condition of this road!
A huge rock along the forest service road

We parked in the lot for Spencer Ridge Trail, geared up, and began the hike. A little ways down the trail, we stopped and I set up for an activation. There was no way to put up an antenna in the trees as this was a  narrow trail and likely there would be hikers coming along at some point. I opted for the AX1 and hopped onto 20 meters. After 10 minutes of calling CQ with no answers, I thought about moving to 40 meters. However, there was no room for that long of a counterpoise and, by this time, I was ready to admit “uncle” to the gorge. Sometimes, as another acquaintance says, “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze,” and it wasn’t by this point.

The trail
My view – looking straight into the foliage with the trail behind me

We rehydrated, loaded ourselves back into the car for the bumpy, crazy service road ride, and went on our way to the next activation – Table Rock Fish Hatchery (US-8012).

The hatchery, built in 1946, has 17 ponds as well as a flowing water flume for holding trout. Its water supply is nearby Irish Creek. It is the only coolwater hatchery in the state due to its location which  raises fingerling smallmouth bass, walleye, and muskallunge as well as channel catfish.

Maybe I should have taken the rain I encountered as an omen this activation was not to be. It poured on the drive to the hatchery and for about 15 minutes at the site. There was blue sky in the distance and the clouds seemed to be clearing when all of sudden, the sun was out! However, with the sun came intense humidity, almost south-Georgia level humidity.

I set up in a picnic area outside the hatchery gates but still on hatchery property. I found a spot I could park Kai under branches for shade. As there were dogs loose on the property and the ground was soggy, I left Daisy in the car with the windows down and the Koonie fan on high to keep her cool.

Picnic area
Kai in the shade
Daisy keeping cool in the car

Due to the rain, there was no lack of wildlife. As I set up, I disturbed a bunch of tiny (and I mean tiny) frogs. During the activation, I kept an eye on the ground while calling CQ over and over and spied a little beetle crawling nearby.

One of the frogs I inadvertantly disturbed

I deployed the EFRW antenna and hopped on the air. I’m not sure if it was the location or bad propagation or both but I had only one nibble. (Thank you Tim VA3UZ for that single contact!) I tried 20 meters for two periods as well as five minutes each on 40 and 30 meters. It was hot and humid. While setting up, the feed-end of my EFRW had dropped out of my pocket unbeknownst to me and I tore my hair out for over 20 minutes trying to locate it. Between the weather, the frustration from temporarily losing the antenna feed-end, and the lack of contacts, I had had enough and called QRT.

Throwing the arbor line to snag my branch
The creek at the hatchery
My QTH

We drove onto Lake James State Park to set up camp for the night. What a pretty and open landscape this park has. I booked a spot in the Paddy campground, spot #1 right near the bathhouse. Given the rainy weather we encountered, this proved to be a good spot.

Lake James campsite

I planned for an evening activation at Lake James; however, the weather had a different idea. It rained several times over the course of the evening. So, the POTA Babe struck out – zero successful activations of the three parks planned for the day.

Yes, it was a stone kind of day. The good thing about stone days is they don’t stick around. At some point, the diamond days show up again. Was day four of my North Carolina  trip a diamond day? Stay tuned…

Antennas, Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Videos

Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest

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Somedays, I just need a little POTA and radio-active therapy to energize the day. And this was one of those days.

On Thursday, July 18, 2024, I woke up still feeling quite tired because I had been out the entire day before helping my sister with a move–my wife and I didn’t get back home until midnight.

I was exhausted!

That Thursday, though, I still needed to hit the road again fairly early to help my sister with her home closing and then bring my dad home (finally) from the skilled nursing facility where he’d spent the previous 2.5 months!

It was a big day, and I was feeling pretty low on the energy reserves even after the morning coffee. We’ve all been there, right?

I didn’t think I would have time to fit in a POTA activation, but my father’s nursing facility contacted me and asked if I could pick him up after lunch instead of before. All of a sudden, I had a two-hour chunk of time, so, of course, I was going to get radio-active!

Fortunately, I had my GoRuck GR1 in the car, after my trip to the NC coast, packed with the KX2 and a few antenna options!

Looking at the time, I knew Tuttle Educational State Forest would be my best bet for a quick activation. Accounting for travel time and lunch, I would have about a one-hour window to operate.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)

I arrived at Tuttle and wasn’t surprised to find the place nearly empty. Tuttle caters to school groups, and since schools were still in summer break, I didn’t expect to see any school buses or large groups.

My plan was to attempt this activation using the AX1 antenna–just to keep things simple.

I chose a picnic table in the shade and set up my gear in short order!

Gear

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On The Air

I hopped on the air hoping that propagation wouldn’t be too rough, but turns out, it was not in the greatest of shape. Anyone active in POTA lately knows this struggle! Continue reading Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest →

News

The POTA Babe Becomes a SOTA Babe – Part 2

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

Monday, July 15, after my “botched” SOTA activation of Black Balsam, the POTA Babe headed to Richland Balsam. Richland Balsam proved to be a nice hike and activation. The mountain is further up the parkway and the highest point on it. You access the trail to the summit via an overlook just southeast of the mountain.

Trailhead for Richland Balsam

When I researched what summits to choose, one nice feature about this one is a bench at its top. Yes, the park service provides you a seat for your activation! Given the gain in elevation to reach that bench, you are grateful for it by the time you reach the summit!

Foliage encroaching on the trail to Richland Summit
Yes, more ferns!!

By this point in the day, the sun had burned off the clouds and both Daisy and I appreciate sitting beneath the tree canopy shaded from the heat. While I set up my KX2 and AX1 (it has performed well enough at Black Balsam Knob, I figured it would do well here, too.), Daisy sprawled out on the forest floor at my feet.

View from the bench

I was a little nervous at going through all this effort with an ongoing solar flare. However, you never know what the bands are going to give unless you try.

QTH (bench) provided by park service

As per Gary’s recommendation in the last article, I began with 40 meters and, in addition to working Gary, worked three other ops in short order. After ten minutes with no further callers, I moved to 20 meters. I still needed six more QSOs for a valid POTA activation at this site. They gradually trickled in over the course of an hour and a half. I had internet access at this location, too, and was able to hunt Douglas AA0AW at US-11150 in Minnesota. At this point I called QRT and reflected on the day.

QSO Map for Richland Balsam/Blue Ridge Pkwy/Nantahala National Forest source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/

The thought of not having a valid SOTA activation in the morning REALLY bothered me. It was fairly late in the day now. Would there be time to go back (yes, go back) and make a second attempt? By now those lovely cloudy skies were long gone so our second hike would be a much warmer one. If you haven’t already figured out by now, POTA Babes are tenacious and don’t give up easily. Besides, I felt the need to redeem myself.

We arrived back at the Black Balsam Knob parking area with plenty of parking now. In fact, there were only a handful of cars left. As we walked toward the trailhead, a pair of men were leaving the trail for their car. I asked them how far of a hike it is to Black Balsam Knob to which they responded about 30 minutes. Well, it was about 30 minutes I hiked that morning. Hmmm.

A gorgeous and sunnier view than previously that morning

When we reached the same area I had that morning, I asked two different parties where the Black Balsam Knob summit was. They both responded right where I was standing! (It had taken a little over 30 minutes, partially to give Daisy a rest due to the temperature.) But where was the plaque? One gentleman confirmed there was indeed a plaque at this site and yes, this was the summit.

The plaque I missed earlier

Well, how do you like that?! I DID have a valid SOTA activation here after all. Whew! What a relief (though I could have done without that hike a second time). I figured since we were already up here, why not try to finish the POTA activation now?

First things first, though, was to find Daisy some shade and the only way to do that was to set up the new Mountain Laurel Designs tarp I purchased for the trip. I couldn’t get the height I saw Patrick WW4D have on his tarp but it was a start. I gave Daisy the shade and sat in front of it shielding my KX2 from the sun.

First time using the Mountain Laurel Designs tarp
A simple setup

I went back to 20 meters and thanks to three hunters – Keith K7MOA, Gerald N5KT, and Ken K5ENS – I had my valid POTA activation! Woo-hoo! What a day!

At this point, I heard thunder and saw lightning from a raincloud I’d been watching. It was time to get the you-know-what out of Dodge! I hurriedly threw everything into my pack and Daisy and I huffed it down the summit.

Approaching storm

As I reflected on how the day played out, I was pleased with what I accomplished.

A successful SOTA activation is a big deal to me, to a great extent because I’ve had no one to Elmer me. There are those who’ve answered my questions and there are Youtube videos that were helpful. But the endeavor still seemed overwhelming at times, especially since I often set the bar high for myself. There are still additional skills I need for further pursuit of SOTA, especially if hiking to a summit that isn’t as easy to find as the two today were. But today was a good start. For those of you considering your first SOTA activation, if I can do it, so can you! So do your research, gather your skills, and get out there.

A happy POTA Babe and her POTA pup

The track record for the trip is going well – four POTA and two SOTA activations and it is only day two! Will I keep up the pace and where will I head next? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

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Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl

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Many thanks to Anthony (M7TAW) who shares the following guest post:

A first timer’s POTA activation at the Devil’s Punch Bowl!

Anthony (M7TAW)

Introduction

Let me start with the confession that I am an amateur radio operator born out of the Covid lockdown. With the switch to remote examinations by the RSGB in 2020, and a lot of free time on my hands, I thought why not get myself on the air! However, it wasn’t until this year, and a nice birthday gift from the fiancée, that I finally managed to reach into the HF bands with a (tr)uSDX.

This 5W QRP multiband and multi(ish) mode transceiver was going to be my first serious foray into what I deemed “proper radio”. So, I endeavoured to try and learn and maximise every bit of usage I could out of it. Like many newcomers to radio, I started with getting an EFHW strung out my window and got onto digital modes with FT8 on 20m just to confirm that I could in fact be heard. I also managed to SSB over to Italy at one point, though the in-built microphone gave me a 337 RST. At this point though, I was buzzing to be heard!

That’s USB covered, but what is this CW mode I can select?

As a graduate in history, there’s something about “old timey” technology and methods that intrigue me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a technophile at heart (you kind of have to be a data scientist), but there’s something about post-industrial mechanical and electrical advancements that amazes me still!

Of course, morse code was going to be next on the list of things to explore then it seemed!

I ordered a cheap but decent key from our favourite Chinese marketplace, and started cramming LCWO, Morse Mania, and Morsle as much as I could, and getting that muscle memory rhythm with practicing sending the alphabet and my name. Luckily, the (tr)uSDX has a practice mode and a decent decoder in-built so I can just power the radio from a USB connection and practice away!

No better setup than practicing on the sofa in your pyjamas.

Naturally, the YouTube algorithm decided that if you’re learning about CW, you might also be interested in this POTA thing. A few K4SWL videos, a dash of K2EJT, and a splash of newcomer-encouraging KI7QCF, I was hooked. I could combine what I’d started learning, with equipment in the field, and also a slight competitive (I’m eyeing that top spot) and award-based activity.

I started obsessively watching POTA spots on Gridtracker to make sure I could hunt FT8 contacts, and also kept my eye on the spots for any CW contacts that I thought I’d be able to hear. Finally I did it; about 25 days after I seriously started learning CW, and with a bit of a crutch with the morse decoder on the radio, I finally made a POTA hunter CW QSO – DC5LY (pota.app) thank you very much.

As fun as hunting is, I had to follow the YouTubers I’d been watching and actually get out there for an activation. However, actually getting out there – shudders – in public and getting my antenna up seemed a daunting task. Add in the fact that I was determined to not rely on digital only to get an activation, but also CW.

I started to plan…

Firstly, I looked for sites that had decent parking, but were also probably big enough that I could tuck away uninterrupted (something to take the nerves away). Luckily for me, about 20 minutes up the road is a large stunning National Trust area known as The Devil’s Punch Bowl – the legend has it that the Devil scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it at Thor, God of Thunder, the depression that remained is the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Also, unluckily for me, I had to take a day off work to visit the dentist, so why not mitigate that by trying out my first activation!

Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (GB-0243)

Devil’s Punch bowl – Surrey Hills National Landscape
GB-0243 Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (pota.app)

Gear

When planning for this little adventure, I thought to myself that I’d likely panic if I had to combine putting up a mast for an EFHW or trying to throw a wire in the tree for the first time. Coupled with the fact that the (tr)uSDX doesn’t come with an ATU, I thought why not invest in a quick and easy vertical. After a bit of research, and another visit to our favourite Chinese marketplace, I opted for a JPC-12 vertical antenna along with an investment in a NanoVNA.

The (tr)uSDX comes with an inbuilt SWR meter but I wasn’t sure how reliable it was, and I’d have a hard time tuning with it. I grabbed some 18650 batteries and the stage was set! Helpfully, the JPC-12 antenna comes with a nice little carry case with supplementary space, and the compact size of the (tr)uSDX means I could just throw everything in there.

Full gear list and links below:

Setting up

I was up bright and early on a Friday morning, and headed over to the park slightly nervous, but also excited!

As a nervy POTA first timer, my original plan was to maybe just activate from the car park and hide my antenna behind my car. However, when I got there, it became very clear that there was nowhere to hide, and frankly there weren’t many great spots to plant a vertical in the ground.

I’d have to suck it up, and venture deeper into the park! After grabbing my backpack, and trotting down a marked route, I chose to go left onto a track that bikes weren’t allowed in the hope that it’d be quieter. Albeit the path was quite dense with overgrown bushes and plants. I was beginning to think I’d not have a clearing to even sit in, let alone mount the antenna.

What a view.

However, a couple of minutes later I chanced up a bench and table that was nestled slightly into the trees with a bit of a clearing! It was like the POTA gods had answered my calls for a perfect location. I quickly plonked my backpack on the table, claimed the spot, and started unpacking the gear. You can see below how efficient I’d been in packing, and I was surprised myself how I could get this antenna and all the equipment I’d need neatly into my bag.

Can’t recommend this antenna enough (with my limited experience)

A few minutes later, the vertical was up, and I’d got it tuned to 40m like I’d practiced at home. Helpfully, the loading coil has marked points which correspond to the bands, and all I had to do was slightly adjust the length of the whip whilst keeping an eye on the NanoVNA. I got it down to 1:1.18 around the CW bands for 40m in Europe (7000-7040MHz) – couldn’t be happier!

What a find for a first-time location!

On The Air

Part 1 – A job half done

Now came the exciting part! Finally getting on the air portable for the first time and POTA for the first time! I thought I’d settle my nerves by starting with the familiar FT8. I booted up FT8CN, and plugged the (tr)uSDX into the phone. A few firmware updates ago, the (tr)uSDX got audio over USB, and being able to plug it directly into the phone with a single cable and receive and send FT8 seems like magic to me. Continue reading Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl →